Jude Bellingham is a name that needs no introduction in the modern game, but he’s not his family’s top goalscorer – meet father Mark, who has over 700 goals in his own career!
Since Jude made his debut for Birmingham City at the age of 16, Bellingham’s stock has only risen rapidly. Because of his obvious potential, he was on the radar of big clubs from the start.
This would be possible thanks to his mother Denise and father Mark, who guide both sons’ careers Borussia Dortmund where a 17-year-old Jew honed his talents, including Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho.
His time at Signal Iduna Park once again attracted the interest of many of the world’s biggest clubs, and just a few years after his arrival in Germany, the young midfielder was planning another career move.
Thanks to his parents’ dedicated management, Jude’s future would lie in La Liga, with one of the most famous and impressive clubs in the world, Real Madrid.
Since Move to Real Madrid Over the summer, the 20-year-old Jew wasted no time making a name for himself in La Liga. He currently has the second most goals in the Spanish top flight this season with 17, just 1 behind Girona’s Artem Dovbyk.
And for those who need reminding: Jude Bellingham is a box-to-box midfielder, not a striker.
He himself broke a Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo record in his first 15 games for the club!
The 20-year-old recently won the Kopa Award for the best young player in the world, a decision that is hardly objectionable given his recent performances.
His brother Jobe also enjoyed a successful career under the Bellinghams’ management.
Jobe also began his professional career with Birmingham City in the 2021/2022 season and was benched for the first time just days before his 16th birthday.
Jobe made 24 appearances in his two seasons with Birmingham before moving to Sunderland last year, where he has made 43 appearances and scored 7 goals.
But neither Jude nor Jobe holds the record for most goals scored in the Bellingham household.
The Bellingham brothers certainly learned how to find the end of the net from their father Mark, who was something of a superhuman throughout his career!
Jude and Jobe grew up watching their father pave his way to becoming one of the most prolific non-league goalscorers of all time.
Over the course of his 25-year career, Mark scored over 700 goals while playing for more than 20 teams in the 7th tier of the English football system.
This all happened during his studies at the University of Wolverhampton and his career as a police officer with West Midlands Police.
Mark Bellingham even set an unbeaten record in his 2005/2006 season with Stourbridge – scoring an astonishing 61 goals. In another stint, this time with Leamington, the Bellingham senior scored 79 goals in 87 games, including 6 hat tricks!
Jason Cadden, Bellingham’s manager during his time at Leamington, said of him:
“I don’t know how he did it.”
“At the evening games the final whistle blew and you saw Mark sprinting away. He jumped in the shower, got in his car and started his police shift at 10 p.m.”
“He made scoring goals look easy. I’m sure he would have done the same in the Conference, League Two, maybe even higher.”
Continuing to score goals while fighting crime, Mark Bellingham eventually reached an astonishing milestone while playing for Paget Rangers in the Midland League Division 2 – scoring a whopping 700 goals in his non-league career.
A free kick for the team ironically gave Bellingham this milestone, even though he is better known as a penalty box hunter.
Mark finally hung up his boots in 2019 while playing for Southam United and focused on the next phase of his football career – his children.
As recruiters from across Europe began approaching Jude, Mark took the reins and diligently managed his son’s career. The way he has handled his sons’ careers has earned the Bellinghams the title of one of the most respected names in football.
Both of Jude’s parents have always had a clear path in mind for their sons’ progression in their respective careers, and their guidance has undoubtedly supported Jude and Jobe throughout their time in the game.
A hugely important decision Mark and Denise made on Jude’s behalf was the decision to keep him out of the English top flight while his game continued to develop.
The parents have long been convinced that the soap opera-like media circus that surrounds the Premier League and its stars was not a good place for their son’s mental wellbeing as he develops his game.
This proved to be a deciding factor in Jude signing for Borussia Dortmund, along with the incredible level of facilities and support the club offered to its young and developing players.
This was also the reason why, when the opportunity arose, Jude made his next move to Real Madrid.
In fact, it is unlikely that English fans will see Jude Bellingham in Premier League action any time soon. He recently commented that Real Madrid is the club “I want to stay at for the next 10 to 15 years” and stressed that he is thoroughly enjoying his time there.
Jude can also thank his father’s endless tenacity and belief in his son for his position in the England team – it was Mark Bellingham himself who turned to Gareth Southgate rather than waiting for the manager to turn to him!
This unusual move was hard to believe, but it paved the way for his son to further his career at international level.
And it seems to be exactly this attitude that has earned Mark Bellingham and his sons everything they have achieved in their respective careers.
Being a record-breaking goalscorer while studying at university and working in one of the most difficult police forces in the country takes a lot of strength, and Mark Bellingham has proven that both he and his entire family have just that.
With Euro 2024 There’s an opportunity just around the corner for Jude to bring even more respect to the Bellingham name, and no doubt his father will have his back all the way.
It may take a while for Jude to match his father’s 700+ goals, but he has certainly inherited the tenacity of his striker-turned-scholar-turned-cop-turned-football agent!